The House on Vesper Sands

I was provided a galley by Tin House in exchange for an honest review, which can be found below.

The The House on Vesper Sands was perhaps the perfect cozy winter read. While none of its elements seemed novel in isolation, each piece was executed exceedingly well, and the work as a whole is delightful. Taking place in the well-trod streets of Victorian London, the book tells the story of a student, a journalist, and a detective whose paths converge in hunting the truth behind the disappearances of several working class girls.

O'Donnell has the rare distinction of being an excellent prose stylist who is able to use his prose to propel his plot, rather than encumber it. I found myself racing through the book, with no run on sentences or dense constructions to impede my progress, and yet it was downright beautiful in parts, with every word seemingly perfectly placed throughout.

I was also pleased with the addition of a fantastical strain, which both enlivened the book and provided the impetus behind the central mystery. Without giving too much away, it reminded me of The Golden Compass, though O'Donnell certainly has a fresh take, putting it in service of a captivating, if heavy-handed, story of class.

Although it's been billed as a mystery and has a detective at its center, I would classify this novel as more of a crime thriller, such as the movie Se7en. The characters certainly do their legwork in tracking down the villains, but readers coming looking for a whodunnit with clues doled out along the way will, I think, be disappointed.

If you had asked me before reading this whether there were any fresh ideas to be had in the way misanthropic male detectives, I probably would have leaned towards “absolutely not.” And yet, Inspector Cutter is a welcome addition to the coterie. The combination of his fiery and cantankerous nature, which I would associate more with American detectives than the cold Sherlocks of Brit Lit, and his almost Wodehousian wit made for a truly fresh and enjoyable character.

Mrs. Cornish eyed them for a moment longer before standing aside. “Who's the young miss? Looks like death, she does. You ain't going to tell me she's a police officer and all?”“You are right there, Mrs. Cornish,” Cutter said. “I am not going to tell you.”

I highly recommend The House on Vesper Sands, and I eagerly await the author's next book, hopefully a sequel!